Right Through Me

Chapter 2: Interview

Good day, Ms. Dwyer!

Thank you for your application. After looking over your resume, we believe you can be a potential candidate for the Junior Marketing Consultant position at the Masen-Cullen Brewery Group –– Washington Branch. To proceed to the next stage of your application, we invite you for an interview at our office at 2 p.m. tomorrow. You may find further details attached to this email.

We look forward to meeting you.

Bella had read the email––from Ms. Alice Brandon, Human Resources Manager of MCB––approximately twenty times already since she'd first opened it at her private office over at Swan. She'd gone to work at nine a.m. on the dot as she always did, despite her lack of sleep and massive hangover. In fact, she'd already forgotten most of the events that had occurred the previous night, including the part where she'd sent a stupid, half-assed, half-drunk application.

She put a finger on each temple and massaged them, trying to soothe her own frustration. What the hell was she thinking?

"You good, Bells?"

Bella literally jumped in her seat.

"Whoa, there," Jessica laughed nervously after seeing her reaction. She'd popped her head into the open door of her office to check on her, as she usually did. "Have you had your coffee yet?"

Bella shook her head, sighing. "No. I feel like shit."

"Already on it," Jessica assured her. Before she completely left the room, however––

"Jess, wait! I need to ask you something."

The girl turned back to her, her eyebrows raised. After a few seconds, Jessica let herself into the room completely, and proceeded to close the door gently behind her. "Oh-kay," she said slowly, eyeing Bella carefully. "Is this about Mike?"

"No, no," Bella began, running a hand through her hair. "I was wondering if…it would be okay if I took a leave. For a day or so. Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Jessica repeated, narrowing her eyes. "I mean, of course you can, obviously. I don't even know why you're asking me. But as much as I'm ecstatic you're finally letting yourself take a break…" She paused and frowned. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Bella said immediately, shrugging. "I just thought I'd take a drive to clear my head."

Jessica nodded once, understanding. "Don't worry about us, Bells. I think SM can last a day without you."

Bella chuckled in response. Before Jessica turned to leave once more, however, she stopped her again. "Wait, one more thing."

"Hmm?"

She cleared her throat and fidgeted with her nails on her desk. "I might drive to the beach. To clear my head, like I said. I was thinking about heading to Forks."

Jessica scoffed. "Forks? What's in Forks?"

"I just told you," Bella said smoothly. "The beach."

"Yeah, but Forks?" Jessica questioned, stepping forward and sitting at the corner of Bella's desk. "I dropped by there a few times before, remember? I think I told you that it's literally the most depressing town I've ever seen. There's never a sunny day over there."

"I'd like to drop by anyway," Bella insisted, not quite looking at her friend. Jessica would know immediately she was keeping something from her if Bella looked into her perceptive brown eyes. "I was wondering if you know a good place I could stay in, just in case I decide to…linger for a little more than a day."

Jessica puckered her lips and tilted her head, still looking a bit dubious. Eventually, she pulled out her phone from her pocket and began to type, saying, "Yeah, there's a cute inn over there called Pattersons. I've also got a cousin in town, he wouldn't mind showing you around. I'm sending you his number."

"Cousin?" Bella repeated, picking up her phone when she received Jessica's text. She read the message aloud. "Jacob Black. Huh. You've never mentioned him."

"We're not that close, but he's a really nice dude," Jessica said, standing up in her feet again. "Cute too, objectively speaking. Fresh out of college. I'd set you up if you weren't engaged."

Bella rolled her eyes. "Okay, sure. Thanks, Jess."

Bella went back to reading the email she'd probably already had memorized when Jessica left. She honestly had no idea why she was even considering the interview. She didn't need the job. She had nothing to prove.

And yet…she wanted to know. Maybe not for Mike––although her dense fiancé definitely had a hand in it––but to sate her own curiosity. She wanted to know what kind of person she could be and what she could achieve, if things had been different.

Giving in, she clicked the reply button.

Bella understood the 'depressing' part of the description Jessica had given her as soon as her car entered the town. The clouds seemed to all conglomerate in this teeny tiny area, causing a permanent grayish blue hue in the scenery. She noticed the gaps between each building widening and their heights gradually shrinking as she drove closer and closer to the center of Forks.

She couldn't help but wonder why in the world a thriving business like Masen-Cullen would even think about setting up shop here.

Bella soon pulled up her Coupe to the tiny parking lot of the two story inn Jessica had kindly dubbed as cute. It was, to an extent. But it also looked very old. There couldn't be more than ten rooms in the inn, and when Bella wandered inside the tiny, yet cozy reception area, she was told there was a full vacancy.

"It's great to have you, Miss…" The kind elderly lady––Cora, according to her rusty name tag––at the desk trailed off.

"S––Dwyer," Bella informed her, clearing her throat. "Isabella Dwyer."

"Isabella," she repeated slowly as she typed down her details on her gray, outdated computer. "That's a beautiful name."

"People just call me Bella," she said, tapping her sharp nails on the desk a little impatiently. It had been a bit of a long drive, and she wanted to take a nice, long bath before heading out for her interview.

"That's no good," the lady murmured, almost as if to herself. "Isabella is better."

Bella sighed.

After a few more minutes, Bella was finally able to get her room key. The room––a quaint little space on the second floor––wasn't bad at all, if she were being honest. The queen-sized bed and the spreads were soft and smelled like lavender, and the inn had set several additional blankets, as if they always anticipated the cold. Figures. There was also a wide mahogany desk by the wide window, which overlooked the open road and driveway.

Bella took off her heels and wrapped a soft quilt around herself as she stood by the window. The view was dreary as she'd expected, but there was a strange, tranquil effect to it. She felt her worries dissipate as she watched the thick, intertwining clouds shift slowly across the gray sky.

Forks was a tiny, wet, peaceful paradise. And it wasn't bad at all.

This Edward Masen and Carlisle Cullen must be fucking loaded.

Bella had expected the headquarters to look more like a typical small brewery factory, as she'd seen a few times back in Seattle. What she didn't expect was a three-story, modern industrial––not to mention imposing––building right smack in the middle of a mostly empty field at the corner of town. The black and grey walls were mostly lined with full-length glass windows, and the third floor had an overlooking balcony with standing tables. The factory was built behind the intimidating building, and she could see from the structure's edges that it, too, followed the sleek industrial theme.

It would be an understatement to say that MCB stood out among the smattering of short, paneled buildings in the area. Perhaps the only thing about it that fit in Forks was its gloomy, gray aesthetic. But that was it.

She pulled up to the driveway and followed the signs to the parking lot, which was at the right side of the field. There were only a few other cars in the lot, two of which caught her eye: a shiny black Z4 Roadster, and a white Volvo XC40.

She decided to park her blue Coupe in the empty spot between them.

It was only when she stepped out of the car and stood a couple of feet from the front doors of the building that she felt an anxiety that caused her knees to quiver slightly. It only just sunk in that she'd taken that three-hour drive, checked into an inn, and was now in the stone entryway of this ridiculously daunting building for a job that she didn't even need.

Bella almost turned around to get back in her car when the doors opened, and a tiny woman with sunglasses and sharp features gracefully sauntered out, dressed in a blue designer wrap coat with a matching satin head scarf. She walked towards Bella's frozen form and stopped a couple of feet in front of her.

"Ms. Dwyer, I presume?" the woman stated, her voice bright and bell-like. She removed her sunglasses to reveal a pair of wide, light brown eyes.

Bella stood up straight suddenly, and clutched her handbag a bit tighter. "Yes."

"Alice Brandon," the tiny woman introduced herself, reaching out a grey gloved hand. Bella shook it firmly, smiling politely. "I'm so glad you could make it, Isabella."

"Bella," she said smoothly. "And I'm glad to be here."

Alice clasped her hands together excitedly. "Happy to hear it, Bella! Come, let's get you some lunch."

Bella blinked and followed Alice into the building. She almost sighed contentedly at the perfect, warm temperature indoors, and briefly took in the minimalist receiving area. As Alice led her around, employees who passed by––dressed in a wide variety of clothing styles, some even pajamas––would nod to the Human Resources Manager in greeting.

"Lunch," Bella repeated, struggling to keep up with Alice in front of her as she led her to a maze of hallways. How does someone so small have the legs to move so fast? "Did you say lunch?"

Alice nodded, turning for a second to shoot her a friendly smile. "What are you in the mood for? We've got good pasta today, I think. We've got great coffee, too––and beer, naturally."

Bella released a sharp breath. "You let employees drink during work hours?"

"Only our own liquor, of course," Alice responded cheerfully, stopping in front a set of wooden double doors. She gestured for Bella to enter before her, a playful smirk on her face.

The cafeteria looked more like a fine dining restaurant than anything else. While the halls and other rooms she'd passed were mostly a dull, industrial gray, the cafeteria incorporated wood and glass. Round glass tables were evenly spaced out across the large space. At the other end of the room was the kitchen––to Bella's incredulity, the chef even wore the full attire––and the food was laid out in a buffet line over marble counters. Next to the counters were wall refrigerators, which she saw mostly to be stocked with MCB liquor.

"Seriously?" Bella couldn't help but mutter, to which Alice responded with gentle laughter.

Alice began her quick pace again and led her to the buffet line. Bella widened her eyes at the food; apparently, Masen-Cullen believed steamed crab and truffle pasta were normal menu items for an office cafeteria.

She turned slowly to Alice, who seemed to be watching her reaction with genuine amusement. "It's all Carlisle."

"What?"

"Carlisle Cullen," Alice said slowly, picking up a plate and adding a generous portion of the pasta. "He's…big on everything gourmet. Beer and liquor should be served with the right food, he says. He also thinks people can only work at their best if they have the right fuel."

"Right fuel?" Bella said incredulously. "Then why not serve protein shakes and brain food?"

"Well, I'm not complaining," Alice retorted, laughing again. She went over to the counter and waved friendlily to the cashier, who greeted her by name. "A couple of beers, too. Put in on my tab."

"You got it," the lady said, nodding to Bella in greeting as well.

They sat at a corner table, with Alice sitting across from her with her legs crossed. She poured both beers in separate glasses and placed the plateful of pasta on Bella's side of the table.

"Oh, this is for me?" Bella said, surprised. "You're not going to eat?"

Alice shook her head, raising her glass to sip her beer. "I had a heavy brunch. Don't worry about me."

She gestured for Bella to take a bite, which she reluctantly did. As soon as the food touched her tongue, Bella couldn't help but close her eyes to relish the taste.

When she opened her eyes, she found Alice watching her so inquisitively that she felt self-conscious.

"I love truffle," Bella said flatly.

"Likewise," Alice chuckled.

She couldn't help but release the question that had been bugging her. "Do you spoil all your applicants this way?"

Suddenly, there was a flash of uncertainty in Alice's features, much to Bella's surprise. But it dissolved as quickly as it appeared, and morphed into a gentle smile again. "More or less. As I'm sure you've noticed, we're not your typical company. We take care of our people. Edward says a company is only as good––"

"––As its staff," Bella finished instinctively. "The products only come after."

Alice's eyes widened even more, if that was even possible, and Bella watched as a small, knowing smirk emerged across her blood-red lips. "Right. Exactly."

Bella cleared her throat and dabbed the corners of her lips with a napkin. "I'm sorry, Ms. Brandon, is this the interview? I feel like I'm messing it up, being the one asking all the questions."

"Oh, no, Bella," Alice assured her, reaching into her coat pocket to bring out a cellphone. She began typing quickly as she spoke. "This is genuinely just a late lunch. The interview comes a bit later, we're just waiting for Edward."

Bella visibly balked at that. "Edward Masen is here?"

There was a swoosh as Alice sent her message, and she put down her phone on the table to face Bella again. "Carlisle, too. They're very hands-on to the business––especially this one for now, since the Washington branch is fairly new. Also, Edward prefers dealing with the staff directly, as much as possible."

"I––Okay," Bella managed.

Alice's phone vibrated once, and she picked it up, her eyes flitting quickly across the notification. Her lips began to curve into a smile again.

"Speak of the devil," she murmured, looking up. "He's ready. Let's go."

She stood up abruptly, and Bella followed suit, feeling her knees going weak with anxiety again. Alice raised a hand to call the attention of the cashier lady, then gestured to Bella's half-full plate. "Have this ready to-go when we get back," she ordered from the across the room.

Alice gestured for Bella to follow her out of the cafeteria, and the latter struggled once more to keep up.

The room she led her to was a conference hall at the third floor. Once they reached the double doors, Alice gestured for her once again to head inside first.

The hall was spacious, with a long glass table in the middle of it. There were also full length windows overlooking the road. Standing on its side and facing the view was a tall, lean man in a navy blue long-sleeved shirt and dark jeans, his hand tucked in his pockets. He had ruffled bronze hair.

He slowly turned his head to Bella's direction, and Bella met Edward Masen's pair of cocky, sea foam eyes.

"Good afternoon," he greeted, his voice a melodic tenor. "Isabella, is it?"

"Bella," she said automatically, stepping forward. She saw Alice enter behind her and sit on one of the chairs from the corner of her eye.

Edward gestured for Bella to sit on the opposite seat. "Bella. Please."

She obliged, and was silently grateful that her knees didn't give up on her midway as she sank into the comfortable chair. For some reason, Edward intimidated her––it was a rare thing, especially with the fact that he couldn't be that much older than her.

Edward moved gracefully to the side of the room, where Alice sat. He sat down directly next to the small girl, his eyes still fixed on Bella's form. She instantly felt self-conscious again as she watched him look her over several times.

"Why are you here?" he said in a monotone, his expression unreadable.

Bella cleared her throat. "I sent over an application for the marketing and consulting committees. I heard there was an opening."

He leaned back and crossed his arms, and the large Rolex on his wrist momentarily reflected the bright fluorescent light directly into her eyes, causing her to squint instinctively.

"No," he said flatly. "That's not it. I'll ask you again: why are you here?"

"I––" she stammered, suddenly feeling beads of sweat forming in her forehead. "I apologize, I don't understand the question."

He inhaled deeply. He nodded once towards the window. "Is that your Coupe?"

Bella blinked twice, turning around for a second. She realized the window was directly overlooking the parking lot. Turning back to Edward, she said, "Yes."

"Good taste," he commented, and the corners of his lips curved into a small smile for the first time in her presence. "It's an expensive ride. Looks new, too. You must be doing quite well for yourself, then."

"I suppose so," Bella said slowly, unsure where this was going.

Edward hummed in acknowledgment, then turned to Alice's direction. She'd laid out a folder on the table when they were speaking, and he picked it up wordlessly and began to flip through the loose pages. He settled on the one he was looking for, and his eyes began to flit across the words quickly.

"Strangely enough, I don't see any recent experience on your resume," he stated, flicking his fingers on the page. He looked up at her, and she found that his smile had disappeared. "How could you have possibly afforded the car, then?"

Bella instantly gulped. Oh, no. This was definitely a bad idea. "It…was given to me," she lied, regretting it as soon as she said the words.

"Given to you," he repeated, almost mockingly. His eyes suddenly landed on her hands, which she'd clasped together in front of her. His expression turned strangely amused.

She realized he was staring at the ring on her finger. Oh, God. Don't tell me he thinks––Instinctively, she dragged her hands away from the table and down on her lap.

When she watched Edward's lips contort to a satisfied smirk, she knew she'd made it even worse.

"Do you want to know why we called you in for an interview?" Edward drawled, leaning back on his chair again.

Bella was too bewildered to speak, and decided to wait patiently for him to continue instead.

"It was my idea, actually," he admitted. "I read your application quite thoroughly. Initially, I just wanted to see the face of this little minx who had the audacity to send over a subpar, awfully formatted resume at four in the morning, thinking she deserved a spot at MCB."

Bella released a sharp breath, and felt her heart sinking in her chest in humiliation.

"In my incredulity, I decided to read your cover letter a little more seriously," he continued, shaking his head. "I'm not even going to start with your typographical errors, by the way. What really caught my eye was this cute little paragraph you made, questioning our decision to expand to Washington. Sure, you called it 'brave' and 'surprising', but really, I could tell you meant 'unwise'." Edward narrowed his eyes at her. "Is that normal behavior for you? To question a company you know jack shit about? A company you're applying for?"

Bella felt her mouth fall open in surprise and sudden frustration. She tried to form words, but realized her mind was too clouded with anger to make anything coherent.

"Sounds pretty self-righteous to me," he said, his voice strangely calm, despite the condescension and poison in them. "And spoiled. No surprise there." His eyes darted again to her hands, which she realized he could still see under the transparent glass table.

She couldn't help it, then. She'd tried to count to ten in her head to calm herself down, but this man was just begging for it. "I don't know who you think you are, but a good and decent business owner would never call an applicant for an interview just to insult and berate them."

"There you go again," he said, smiling mockingly. "Talking about shit you know nothing about, based on your resume."

"Don't fucking swear at me," she seethed, slamming her hands in fists on the table. "Now if you're done, I'm going to leave. Thank you for wasting my time."

"Bella, please, we're not done."

For some reason, Edward's sudden change in tone stopped her from standing up from her seat, even though her hands were already clutching her bag. His voice had abruptly turned gentle and sickly sweet, and there was a strange softness in his expression.

He had a hand raised, pleading for her to stay in her seat.

"You never answered my question properly," he said, his voice still soft. "Why are you here? You've audaciously pointed out what you believe to be flaws in the company's decision-making process, so hypothetically, what could you possibly offer to us? Or do your skills end in pointing out problems?"

Bella moistened her lips before responding, calming down immediately. "I apologize if it sounded as if I was questioning the company decision. That was my mistake. While I stand by my opinion that the move to Washington was risky, I don't believe it to be bad. In fact, there's a lot of opportunity, but it will require a lot of work. The liquor market here is very different from that in the East Coast."

Edward nodded. "Give me an idea, then. From the top of your head."

Bella puckered her lips and thought about it for a moment. "MCB's flagship product is beer, correct? And you've successfully catered to the masses on that in your original branches. You can't do that here. Not yet, at least. The beer market is saturated, and Washington folks––especially the small towns––are very loyal to their local beer. I think…I think you'll have to focus on the spirits."

Edward quirked an eyebrow. "Spirits? It's our black sheep––the lowest income generator. We're far from perfecting them."

Bella shrugged, looking down at her hands again. "I know. It's worth a shot, though, since there's a market gap for it over here. It'll need a huge rebrand and a lot of work, like I said…" She raised her eyes to face him. "You just need the right people for it."

Edward held her eyes, his index finger began tapping the table gently in a consistent, moderate beat. It was also him who broke away the eye contact first, when he turned to Alice––Bella had forgotten she was there, actually. "What's on the menu today?"

"Truffle pasta," she responded cheerfully.

"Fuck yes," Edward sighed, stretching his arms and letting out a yawn. "I'm starving."

He stood up, and Alice followed suit. Bella awkwardly stood as well, realizing that the interview was over. Her mind was still reeling when she watched Edward reach out his arm towards her.

"We'll call you," he said simply, his expression unreadable.

Edward and Alice had left her quickly in the conference room without looking back, so she believed they didn't expect her to follow them. For five minutes, she stood motionless in the middle of the empty room, not sure of what to feel.

She was pretty sure she just bombed that interview. Now you know, she thought humorlessly. You wouldn't have made it. You should send a thank you card to Charlie.

Sighing, she decided she needed to calm down. Her fingers were still trembling from the confusing, heated interaction she'd had with Edward Masen. She couldn't drive like this.

She vaguely remembered that there was an overlooking balcony on the third floor. Hopefully it was a smoking area, too. After taking in a deep breath, she walked out of the room and sought out to find it.

Conveniently enough, it was right beside the conference room. Bella immediately felt relieved seeing the smoking sign next to the glass door. She stepped outside quickly, as she fished out her vape pen from her handbag.

It wasn't very long before she realized she wasn't alone.

He didn't notice her at first either, she was sure. He was leaned over the railing, holding a cigarette to his mouth while his other hand scrolled through his phone. He wasn't as tall as Edward, as she'd initially guessed, but towered over her five-foot-four frame just the same. He was dressed impeccably, too, in a gray vest over a white button-down, and she recognized the pair of Ferragamo derby shoes he had on.

Even with only his side profile to go on so far, she knew he was even more attractive in real life. His hair was slicked back, just as in the photo she'd seen, but it was only then that she noticed that there were streaks of strawberry blond in his otherwise golden, silky hair. His eyebrows were furrowed as his eyes were focused on the screen, and his lips were slightly pouting.

He released a whole line of smoke before he noticed Bella's presence, and he turned his perfect, cherubic face in her direction. Bella's stomach did a little twist when she met Carlisle Cullen's deep blue eyes, that she had to mentally kick herself to remember she was engaged.

She'd always had a thing for blondes, after all.

Bella cleared her throat awkwardly and nodded in his direction, before facing the railing and putting the vape pen between her lips. He'd probably leave her alone to smoke, right? He was probably a busy man, and didn't have time to make small conversation.

She sucked in a deep breath when she saw him stand straight and begin to walk slowly to her direction from the corner of her eye.

"Is that your Coupe?" were his first words, his voice soft and absolutely angelic. Just as she'd imagined it to be, or even better.

For fuck's sake. I should've brought the Toyota.

"Yeah," Bella replied, pursing her lips. She forced her eyes to look at anywhere but his face, and eventually settled on staring at her own hand clutching the railing.

"Cool," he murmured, leaning against the handrail on his elbows again, but this time he was painfully close to her. It took all she had not to step backwards. It felt…wrong to be so near to someone like him. "The Roadster's mine."

Her eyes followed the direction of his pointing thumb, and Bella couldn't help but roll her eyes.

Unfortunately, Carlisle noticed her reaction. He tilted his head to the side. "What?"

Bella sighed, taking a drag before responding. "Nothing. It's just…of course it is."

He stood up straight again, then shifted his position to lean backwards on the railing this time. His eyes never left hers as he moved, and his plump lips curved into half-smile. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Compliment my car, then casually bring up your much better, more expensive car? 'The Roadster's mine'." Bella chuckled at herself and how bad she copied him. "Come on, it's the oldest tactic in the book. It's just…predictable."

Carlisle narrowed his eyes, and to Bella's dismay, he had his bottom lip tucked between his teeth. I should just stop talking to this man and go. "You think I'm a dick?"

"I didn't say that. Just predictable."

"You want to know why I asked?" He'd tilted his head forward as he spoke, his expression teasing. Daring her.

Bella crossed her arms, standing her ground.

Carlisle tucked his cigarette between his lips and kept it there, then used his now-free hand to fish out something from his pocket. It was his car key fob. He then stretched out and pointed it towards his car below him.

He clicked the unlock button once. The car didn't blink.

"It should work, right?" he said, his teasing smile still etched on his face. "We're not very far from it. And for some reason, it can only pick up the signal when I'm quite literally a foot away from the door. What's the point of a key fob then? It's fucking annoying."

"It must be," Bella breathed, trying to ignore the way her stomach flipped again at the sound of his swearing.

He turned to completely face her, leaning his left elbow on the railing as he did. "Now, I only wanted to know if you were a fellow BMW owner, to ask if you knew a guy. To fix it."

She released a sharp breath. Fuck, he outplayed me there. "Okay," she managed, still unwilling to apologize to the man.

"Well, do you?" His smile widened, as if he won something.

"I might," she said flatly. "Makes a good deal, too, than actual maintenance. He's in Seattle, though."

Carlisle shrugged. "I'll take it. You have his number?"

"Sure," Bella said automatically, fishing out her phone from her bag. She felt his eyes on her as she scrolled through her contacts and found the one she was looking for. She copied the number and put it on a new message, until she realized…

She cleared her throat. "I'll need your––"

Bella looked up and saw his hand already waiting, probably the whole time she was on the phone. She wished she could wipe that stupid smile off his face––wait, no.

She reluctantly put the phone in his hand.

As she watched him type his number, Bella searched his face to see any underlying motive. Was he flirting with her? Of course not, she waved off. He was obviously out of her league. And why did it even matter?

Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike, she began to repeat in her head, like a mantra.

She heard the noise that signaled a sent message, and reached out to take the phone from his hands. To her surprise, he dodged and lifted the phone away from her.

There was a familiar expression on his face. It was the sad, half-hearted expression he had in the photo she'd seen. His deep, cerulean eyes bore into her own, and his mouth opened and closed a few times, as if he was unsure of how to say his next words.

"What sort of men have you met," he began, saying each word slowly, and almost in a whisper, "that's made you so distrustful of them right off the bat?"

She watched as his eyes landed on her right hand, which was still in the air from trying to take her phone from him. The hand with the finger. The finger with the ring.

As she'd done before, she instinctively dropped her hand and tucked it in her coat pocket.

Before she got the chance to respond––or think of a response, really––they were disturbed by a polite cough. Both of them turned to the sound, and found Alice standing with a brown paper bag in her hands.

"Alice," Carlisle greeted, suddenly warm.

"Hey," she said cheerfully, as she always did. She turned to Bella and approached her. "I was looking all over for you, Bella! I thought you'd left already, but I saw your car in the lot––"

What's up with MCB employees and cars? she thought.

"––so I waited downstairs for a bit, then I saw you up here!" Alice giggled, then handed out the paper bag to her. "You should finish this. I saw how much you liked it."

Bella was bewildered as she took the paper bag from her hands, smelling the truffle. "I––Thank you, Ms. Brandon. I'll be heading out now."

She turned to Carlisle, who seemed to be stifling his laughter over something. When he didn't budge, she decided to just straight out ask, "My phone, sir. Please."

He pursed his lips, before finally handing her phone back to her. There was a bit of static when their fingers lightly brushed, causing Bella's breath to hitch slightly.

"You take care, now," he said, a gentle smile on his lips.

Before Bella walked through the door, Alice said, "Oh, and Bella?"

She looked back at her, her eyebrows raised.

Alice pulled out a full grin, flashing a perfect set of radiant teeth. "Call me Alice."

Carlisle watched as the blue Coupe pull out of the parking lot and out into the street, towards the direction of the main town. He took a long drag of his cigarette as he did, then released the smoke in the form of a sigh.

"Time frame?"

He didn't bother looking back to see who it was. He felt Edward approach him and, without warning, fish out the small box from Carlisle's back pocket. He saw him from the corner of his eye lean against the railing next to him, his green eyes fixed on the side of Carlisle's face as he lit his own cigarette.

The blond sighed again. "I'm getting tired of these games, Edward."

"You're joking, right?" Edward mumbled, the stick between his lips. "You used to live for this."

Alice hummed as from her place by the window. "I don't know, Ed," she said, adjusting the scarf on her head. "She seems like a tough nut. I think you pushed her a little bit too far."

"Please," he chuckled. "I said exactly what she wanted me to say. Trust me."

"I still don't get it," she sighed, walking forward and leaning next to Carlisle. "I told you to interview her because she seems to like you. She read your stupid article. Why didn't you just flirt with her, like you usually do?"

"Oh, Alice," he sighed, tutting. "You've misread this time. I knew from the moment that woman walked in that I'm not her type."

"What, because she's engaged?" Alice asked.

Edward stared at her incredulously, like what she'd said was the most stupid thing he'd ever heard.

"I don't know what's wrong with me today," she sighed, turning around to face the parking lot. "Just spill it, Edward. Not everyone's a mind reader like you––you know that's what they call you, right? In Virginia?"

"My bad, I think I emphasized the wrong thing," Edward said, a smirk emerging from his lips. "I knew from the moment that woman walked in that I'm not her type."

His eyes then turned exaggeratedly to Carlisle's form, who was quietly smoking and scrolling through his phone, not even looking like he was paying attention to the conversation.

"Really?" Alice said slowly, a curious glint in her eyes. "Well, that was my initial guess. But she didn't even bat an eye when I mentioned him––even made fun of the whole gourmet thing."

Carlisle snorted, but still didn't look up.

"I've told you several times, Alice," Edward sighed, releasing a puff in the form of a circle. "Double. Check. Good thing I noticed it immediately, or we would've been done for." He put a hand on Carlisle's shoulder. "You should be flattered. Have you seen the ass on that chick?"

"For fuck's sake, not when I'm here," Alice groaned, taking the cigarette from Carlisle's hand and taking a hit for herself.

"You should've been in that room," Edward continued anyway, laughing to himself. "God, I got her so riled up. She even put her fists down on the table. It would've been hot if it wasn't so fucking hilarious."

"I'm right where I had to be," Carlisle said smoothly.

Alice raised an eyebrow questioningly, putting Carlisle's stick back in his mouth.

Edward laughed again, crossing his arms. "Our friends in Virginia are mistaken, Alice. I'm not the better mind reader here." He turned to Carlisle again. "Time frame?"

Carlisle stood up straight then, then ran a hand through his hair. "Two weeks, tops." He faced Edward, his face still stoic. "And let me handle it."

"There he is," he said proudly, patting Carlisle's shoulder a few times. "This whole stupid Forks thing was your idea, anyway. I'm only trying to make us earn shit regardless."

Alice checked her phone. "Damn. Edward, we've got that four thirty thing. Or do I cancel again?"

Edward sighed. "Is this the town council shit? Well, I'm in a good mood. Might as well." He nodded to Carlisle. "You coming?"

"I'll follow," he replied, leaning back down on the railing and turning on his phone again.

His two companions left without another word.

Carlisle opened up the page he'd been looking at for the past hour. It was an album of photos he'd requested from…a friend. He scrolled through them until he found the single one he'd been going back to. In the photograph was a lovely brunette in a red dress, being carried bridal-style by a blond man with light blue eyes. The girl's hand was posed in front of the camera, to show off a familiar engagement ring.

He left the page, then, and went to his contacts. When he found the one he was looking for, he pressed to call.

It only took three rings before it was picked up. "Mr. Cullen?"

"I'm calling in another favor," he said smoothly, reaching into his pocket to pull out his key fob. He twirled the ring part around his index finger a few times as he spoke. "I need to know everything there is to know about an Atty. Michael Newton."

He caught the key fob mid-twirl and pointed it towards the Roadster. He pressed the lock button.

The car blinked once.

A/N: Sorry for the long delay. Hope you liked this one. :)